Ruling states Nintendo should pay $10 million to iLife

Nintendo has been the top of headlines over the last few months in regards to patent lawsuits. Just last month we reported on the infringement case over the brand new Switch Console and back in May it was over the Mii characters. This week, the Japanese technology giant has lost a four-year patent legal battle over its Wii console.

Nintendo of America were found by a Dallas jury to have infringed on iLife’s motion-sensing accelerometer technology in the Wii Remotes. Nintendo were ordered to pay $10 million in the verdict, which iLife labelled “a result of our commitment and excellence and an outstanding team effort”. However, iLife originally asked for $4 for each of the 36 million units sold (resulting in $144 million), so the win could have been a little disappointing for them in the grand scheme of things.

The case dates back to 2013 when It was first alleged that Nintendo had infringed on six iLife patents. While its technology was designed to monitor babies for sudden infant death syndrome and to detect when elderly people fell, the company claims it has other uses and found its way into the Wii’s motion-sensing controllers without permission. Nintendo had argued that the patent was invalid due to its “lack of an adequate written description.” And while Nintendo admits there are some similarities, it claims to have taken a “very different” path to iLife in regards to how the technology was used.

On the contrary, Nintendo intends to appeal the decision. “The jury awarded iLife $10 million in damages. Nintendo disagrees with the decision, as Nintendo does not infringe iLife’s patent and the patent is invalid. Nintendo looks forward to raising those issues with the district court and with the court of appeals,” the company said in a statement.